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Android: vWork mobile app Location Tracking settings

  • Updated

It's important you set up your Android vWork mobile app so that it works in a way that fits with the jobs you do and your work environment. You can adjust the default settings in the vWork mobile app Settings menu.

Note: Some vWork settings for the mobile app are set in your business's vWork account by the vWork Administrator. These relate to the types of tasks you have permission to perform in the app. You can't change these settings in the mobile app.

Open the Settings screen

You open the Settings menu from the main menu - found in the red banner on the Jobs screen.

Open_menu_from_banner_in_Jobs_screen.png

To open the settings:

  1. In the Jobs screen, tap vWork_Menu_icon.png to open the main menu.

  2. Tap Settings to open the Settings screen.

Settings categories

The vWork Android app settings are grouped into five categories:

In this article, we explain how to get the most from the Location Tracking settings. You can read about the other setting categories by clicking the topic links above.

Settings_screen_Location_Tracking.png

In this article

There are three vWork settings that belong to the Location Tracking settings. We explain these Location Tracking settings and what they do in the vWork app. You may want to customize some of the Location Tracking settings to meet your individual needs. These settings should always be considered with how they interact with your Android device settings. We also provide information on when your location is tracked.

Topics in this article include:

When is my location tracked in vWork?

🔔 Important:

  • vWork only tracks your location when you are logged in to the vWork app and the time is within the Operating Hours you have set in your vWork mobile app settings.

  • Even when the vWork app location tracking settings are set to Always you cannot be tracked outside your set operating hours when you are logged out of the vWork app. See the topics later in this article about Location tracking and Operating hours for more information.

Van

All Location Tracking settings

When you tap Location Tracking from the Settings screen in the Android mobile app it opens the Location Tracking screen. 

This is where you can adjust the default location tracking options for the vWork app.

Note: There are many different factors involved in location tracking. If you want more in-depth information about how location tracking works in vWork please take a look at the article, How does location tracking work in vWork? 

Location_tracking_setting_screen_all_options.png

Van

Location tracking

Location_tracking_screen_Location_Tracking_setting.png

Location Tracking is enabled in the Android vWork mobile app by default (it has a checkmark in the checkbox).
❗ Caution: If you haven't given your Android device permission to use location tracking in the Android device settings then location tracking won't work when you are using the vWork mobile app. Location tracking is needed to send location-based notifications to your dispatcher and customers and for other aspects of the app to work as intended. We recommend that you enable location tracking for vWork in your Android settings. You can find out how to do that later in this article.

Van

Accuracy

Location_tracking_screen_Accuracy_setting.png

Accuracy determines how accurate the location data shared with us is to the actual physical location of the device. A good location is accurate to within a few meters, a poor location may only be accurate to within 1 to 2 kilometers.

The Accuracy setting gives you three options to select from. The options are:

  • Automatic - this switches the source of your Android device location data between GPS when your device is plugged in and charging, and Cellular when it is unplugged and running on battery alone. Automatic is the default setting. We recommend the Automatic setting to optimize accuracy and battery performance.
  • Best Accuracy - this gives the best accuracy but can deplete the device's battery faster than if it was set to Automatic or Battery Saving. It is usually accurate to within a few meters and uses GPS data, where available, for location information. We recommend you use this if your location is crucial to your business. If you are using best accuracy, please ensure your phone is plugged into a car charger or charging cradle as much as possible throughout the day.
  • Battery Saving - This mostly uses the cellular network location, but will sometimes use GPS when cellular is not available. It is not as accurate as Best Accuracy but usually provides accuracy within 50 meters of the device's actual location when in a populated area. It is the best option for longer battery life.

Van

Operating hours

Location_tracking_screen_Operating_hours.png

Operating hours determine the days and hours that your location is tracked when you are logged into the vWork app. Your Android device is not tracked outside the working hours that you set in your Operating Hours settings if you are logged out of the vWork app.

You can choose to have your location tracked every day or set days of the week, and All Day or between set hours. 

Set operating hours

Operating hours are set to All Day, seven days a week as the default. To set your operating hours so they are different from this:

  1. Tap Operating Hours from the Location Tracking screen to open the Operating Hours settings.

  2. To set specific times of the day that you want your location tracked:
    • Tap All Day to remove the checkmark from the checkbox and disable this setting.
    • Tap Start Time and use the clock to select your chosen start time for your Operating Hours. This is applied to all days that you select.
    • Tap End Time and use the clock to select your chosen end time for your Operating Hour. This is applied to all days that you select.

      Location_tracking_screen_Operating_hours_Set_start_and_end_time.png

  3. To set specific days that your location is tracked:
    • In the Operating days section tap to remove the checkmark from the days that you don't want your location tracked. 
    • You can add a checkmark and select a day that your location will be tracked by tapping a day that doesn't have a checkmark in the checkbox.

      In this example, we have removed the checkmarks from Saturday and Sunday as we don't want our location tracked on the weekend.

      Location_tracking_screen_Operating_hours_Set_days.png

Van

Enable location tracking in the Android device settings

Note: Each Android device is different. Your device may follow slightly different steps than those given here. 

To enable location tracking for vWork in your Android device settings:

  1. Open your device Settings.

  2. Find the Android settings for vWork. You can either:
    • Tap in the settings Search, and enter vWork to find the Android settings for vWork, or
    • Scroll to find the Apps menu then select vWork from the list of apps.

      This example shows searching for the vWork settings on an Android device.

      vWork_Android_App_Search_vWork.png

  3. In the vWork settings, scroll to the vWork App settings/permissions and tap Permissions to open the vWork app permissions screen.

    vWork_Android_App_Permissions.png

  4. In the vWork Permissions screen tap Location to open the location permissions for vWork.

    vWork_Android_App_Permissions_Location.png

  5. Tap Allow all the time (recommended) or Allow only while using the app to select your preferred option.

    vWork_Android_App_Permissions_Location_Allow.png

💡 Tip: If the Camera Permission isn't enabled for vWork it is a good idea to also enable this while you are in the Android device settings. This allows you to capture photos for proof of delivery and condition when you complete fields in a job on the mobile app.

Van

 

 

 

 

 

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